Gas dispensing device



s sheets-:sheet 1 'July 12, 1949 w. c. BUTTNER Erm.

GAS DISPENSING DEVICE Filed June 10, 1944 July 12, 1949.

W. C. BUTTNER ETAL GAS DISPENSING. DEVICE Filed June 1o, 1944 3` Sheets-Sheet 2 if! .ZZ r ./f/'a/W//bce INVENTORS July 12, 1949.

w. C. B UTTNER ErAL GAS DIsPENsING DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 1o, 1944 Patented July l2, 1949 GAS DISPENSING DEVICE William C. Buttner, Wlnnetka, Harold L. Norway, Evanston, and Jerome R. Bunce, Chicago, Ill., asslgnors to The Bastian-Blessing Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application June 1o, 1944, serial No. 539,670

9 Claims. (Cl.` 62-1) The present invention relates to liquefied petroleum'gas dispensing systems and more parV t'icularly to a means .by which gas stored in its liquid phase may be vaporized ina novel and improved manner Vand dispensed at a service pres'- sure in its vapor phase for use as fuel -in an.

appliance.

The petroleum product thatthe system ls designed to handle is preferably of the paraiiin series, such asbutane or propane, or various mixtures of both. The fuel is stored in both its liquid and vapor phase and the vapor pressure of the fuel with or without an `augmentation of an additive pressure, such as that of injected air, is utilized to move the' gas from the container to a point of consumption.. In its transition the fuel a liquefied gas dispensing system which is 'easily installed and serviced with-the source of latent heat supplied from the gas beingdispensed. A further object of the invention4 is to provide an improved vaporizer for iiash or ybatch vaporization systems in which no name or spark, which might start explosion, is employed to supply or initiate the supply of latent heat of vaporization.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved heat vexchanger for supplying the4 .latent heat of vaporization required in vaporizing the liquefied petroleum gas for consumption in is vaporized so that the gas is consumed in its vapor phase and at a service pressure.

One way of vaporizing the liquid fuel is the socalled batch system in which the vaporization is carried on in a storage tank and the fuel is Withdrawn as a vapor from the tank. The other way of vaporizing the liquid fuel is the so-called flash system in which the fuel is withdrawn as a liquid from the tank and passed through a pressure reducing regulator and supplied with the latent heat of vaporization so that the liquid iiashes into vapor.

Wherever the vaporization takes place, heat units are absorbed from surrounding parts and in the batch.' systems this refrigerating action is largely expended in the tank Whereas with the flash system the heat absorption is concentrated in a comparativelysmall area, namely, around the regulator andthe conduits leading therefrom.

Although the present invention will improve varporization or revaporization of condensate for both systems, it is shown lfor purposes of illustration in connection with av flash system where 5 heat supply and transfer-conditions are concentrated andsevere;l i

One ofthe objectsfof the invention is to provide an improved .apparatus and invention `for the vaporization. of liquid gas and for therevaporization of any gas that may happen-to condense in .the service conduit ahead of the service stage pressure regulator. 1

o fuel stage pressure reducer due to a sustained or A further object of theinvention is to provide an intermittent supply of latent heat of vaporization to the fuel in the service line of the flash vaporizationl system ahead of the service stage v-pressureregulator which is economical, safe and adequate to supply the latent heat of vaporization required at all times when required.

Another object of the invention is to provide household appliances.

These being amongthe objects of the present invention, other objects will become apparent from the drawings, the description relating thereto and the appended claims.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, illustrating an embodiment of the invention in its prefer-red form.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section taken through the vaporizer shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the heater shown in Fig. 2; p

Fig. 4 is a schematic View of the electric circuit employed in the invention; and

Fig. 5 is a vertical section similar to the view in Fig. 2 illustrating another form of the invention.

As alreadymentionedfthe invention is illustrated in connection with a flash system of vaporization wherein liquefied gas in forced from a storage tank by the vapor pressure ofthe stored gas and is passed through a first stage regulator which reduces the pressure upon the gas. The fuel vaporizes forthwith to the extent that'heat is available at that point in the system to supply the latent heat of vaporiz'ation. For the purpose of supplyingany deficiency inthe available latent heat of vaporization' which may exist beyond the a heavy consumption of gas, a heater is provided which converts a limited amount of vaporized fuel into heat by autogenous burning, the byproducts of which are brought into heat exchange relationship with the conduit beyond the first stage pressure reducer to assure a sustained supply of vapor fuel at the appliance as regulated to a service pressure by' a service stage pressure regulator.

In the drawings a'storage tank is indicated at I0 as mounted upon hollow legs Il secured to a concrete block l2 by bolts |3. One of thelegs is provided'with a padlocked door I4 affording access to a fitting l5 secured tothe tank which has a double valve lling inlet such as that shown in the Norway application. Serial No. 375,078, now Patent No. 2,361,865, granted October 31, 1944, and an eduction connection |1 including an excess ow check valve and a manual shut-off valye (not shown). The connection |1 is in communication with the interior of the tank through a liquid eduction conduit I8 opening at a point adjacent to the bottom of the tank.

A fitting I9 is secured to the top of the tank and includes a safety relief valve, a slip-tube gauge and a liquid level control (not shown) protected from the atmosphere by a cap 2|. A service line 22 leading from the connection |1 extends down through the concrete block |2 and passes underground to a point adjacent to a foundation 23 of a dwelling at which point it turns upwardly, passes out of the ground and through a heat insulating cover 24 into a box 25 which encloses and protects a vaporizer shown generally at 26.

A rst stage pressure regulator 21 is disposed in the conduit ahead of the vaporizer 26 and a service conduit 28 leading from the vaporizer leads to a second or service stage regulator 30 from which a stove or other suitable household appliance 3| is supplied with gas at service pressure through a service line 32.

A T connection 33 is made in the service line 32 to bleed a small supply of fuel through a conduit 34 back to the vaporizer 26.

Referring to Fig. 2 for an enlarged section view showing the box 25 and the vaporizer 26 in further detail, it will be observed that the box is preferably made of an outer metal shell 35 and an inner metal shell 36 between which a layer of heat insulating material 31 is disposed to keep the heat in the box and the cold out. The metal shells are treated for corrosion resistance.

The service line 22 enters the box from the bottom through a packing sleeve 20 and with a 90 bend 40 therein is connected tc the first stage regulator 21 of a construction similar to that shown in the Buttner application, Serial No. 399,715, now Patent No. 2,450,824, granted October 5, 1948. Although the bend 40 provides some support for the regulator, it is preferred that a supporting bracket 4| be provided which is secured to the back cap 42 of the regulator and to the shell 36 of the box.

The outlet of the regulator 21 leads to a copper coil 43 located inside of a cylindrical container 44 with suicient space between the outer face of the coil 43 and the container 44 to receive glass wool packing 45 therebetween. The coil 43 is made in the form of a helix and whether the outlet from the regulator 21 leads to the bottom of the helix or has a loop therein (Fig. which extends above the top of the helix is a matter of design determined by balancing the expense of providing such a construction against the advantage of having the helix constituting a trap in which condensation of fuel taking place inside the conduit 28 will be collected for revaporizaton. For the purpose of the present invention it is found that all thatis required is that the inlet to the helix as indicated at the numeral 41 be a little higher than the opposite side of the rst turn of the helix as shown at 48.

The container 441s supported upon a transverse metal member 58 upset or ribbed as at 5| for rigidity and in a way which will provide for drainage through the opening 52 of water condensation occurring thereabove. At the bottom of the box a drainboard 53 for water is provided leading to the outside through a drain opening 54.

The top 55 of the container is provided with a nue 56 leading laterally through a pipe 51 to the outside of the box 25 where the outlet is protected by a cap 56. Above the baille 50 within the confines of the container 44 is provided a baille -68 which catches any water condensation which mayndrip down from the helical coil 43 to drain the condensation laterally and protect the heater construction 6| which will now be described, reference being made to Fig. 3.

The bleed conduit 34 leads to the inlet of a thermoresponsive control valve 62 mounted on the bottom of the baille 50 with a temperature responsive bulb 63 embedded in the insulation 45 in contact with the outer surface of the helical coil 43. The outlet 64 of the thermoresponsive control valve receives a coupling nut 65 that supports a fuel delivery tube 66 which is bent upwardly to terminate in a nozzle 61. At the upper end of the tube 66, a flanged mounting element 68 is secured as by silver solder, indicated at 10. Upon the upper face of the flanged mounting element 68 a ceramic collar 1| is suitably received and supports ,several elements in electrical and heat insulated relationship including a resistance wire 12 made preferably of Nichrome, an open mesh container 13 filled with a catalyzer such as palatinized asbestos or platinum screen. On top of the collar 1| is also mounted a thermostatic bi-metal switch 14 which breaks contacts 15 and 16 whenrisingtemperatures occur. The supporting element 68 is apertured at 11 to admit air for mixture with the fuel ejected from the nozzle 61 and this mixture passes over the Nichrome wire 12 through the cartridge 13 past the bi-metal switch 14 into contact with the baille 60 Where the by-products of combustion are spread laterally and move upwardly through the helical coil 43 which preferably is oxidized black for rapid heat absorption.

Connections 16 are provided on the lceramic collar 1| by which the Nichrome wire 12 and the bi-metal switch 14 and contacts 15 and 16 are connected in series with a, source of electrical power, such as battery 80 mounted inside the box on brackets 8|, and in series with a normally open switch 62 which is closed by the thermoresponsive valve 62 whenever a supply of fuel is permitted to flow by the valve from the bleed conduit 34 to the nozzle 61.

The ceramic collar 1| the support 68. the conduit 66 and the coupling nut 65 are assembled as a, unit for installation, removal and repair, same being slipped vertically into place through the opening 83 in the baffle 50 as held in place lby wing screws 84 so that by removing the wing screws 84 and the coupling nut 65 and loosening the connections 18, the unit can be removed and by reversing the operations the unit can be in stalled.

The ceramic collar 1| may be made in any one of a number of forms, it being interesting to note that the Nichrome wire 12 should be located where its heat will be transmitted to the catalyser bed and, where possible, should be located in the path of ow of the fuel-air mixture as it moves upwardly. toward the catalyzer bed in the cartridge 13 so that autogenous burning induced by the hot Nichrome Wire will assist in warming the catalyzer bed. Above the baille 60 an apertured cone is held in place by suitable means to crowd the rising products of combustion into intimate contact with the helical coil 43.

In operation, as liquefied petroleum gas is withdrawn from the tank I0 in its liquid phase it 'switch l82 passes underground through the conduit 22 which is preferably buried below the frost line where it receives some warmth from the earth, and

passes up through the insulating sleeve 24 to the first stage regulator 21. In the rst stage regulator 21 the liquid is expanded rapidly with a resulting refrigerating action and to the extent that heat is available in the body of the regulator 21 to supply the latent heat of vaporization, vapor will be formed and pass up through Simultaneously with the opening -of theflow of fuel through the nozzle 61, the normally open. in combination with is closed and this the normally closed bi-metal switch 14, energiz'es the Nichrome coil 12 and brings it to a catalizing heat whereby the fuel and.l air mixture is burned autogenously. warmed to such an extent and carry forward the autogenous burning, Once autogenous burning is established for the catalyzer bed 13, the bl-metal switch 14 will break the engagement between contacts 15 and 16 to conserve the electrical energy of the battery 80. Thereafter the catalyzer bed in cooperation with the fuel will supply heat as long as needed to the helical coil 43 through the walls of which the heat is transmitted to the gas passing therethrough. If the fuel is in its liquid phase at.

that point, it will thereby be vaporized before it reaches thel service stage regulator.

Autogenous burning proceeds whenever there is` the slightest trace of fuel in the stream moving through the bed, and in this way heat is supplied to the helical coil 43 to vaporize the gas upon a non-combustible mixture without any danger of explosions, the fuel content of the air being well below the explosion point. Thus a very safe vaporizer is provided for` installation around a dwelling where it is not in daily attendance by persons skilled in handling gases.

Furthermore, the refrigerating action that takes place around the regulator 21 and around the coil 43 will tend to collect moisture which will precipitate and drain from these point's safely and harmlessly to the bottom of the drainboard 53 from whence itiwill be conducted out of the box through the drain 54 without moisture running down the pipe 22 and dampening the insulation 20, enough humidity remaining in the box to assist the autogenous burning.

In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 5, a vaporizer is shown in which the pipe leading from the regulator 21 goes to the top of the helical coil 43a as shown at 90 before it enters the helical coil 43a and the helical coil is disposed in heat exchange relationship with a convective circulating liquid 9| which preferably has a freezing point below that of water, such as kerosene or an alcohol mixture which is introduced into this cylindrical container 9'3 through a fill opening 94. In this particular embodiment the products of combustion are vented tothe top of the box 25a with means provided for circulating air into and out of the box through-vents 95. With this particular embodiment, the by-prod- The catalyzer bed is thereby that it will supportl 6 ucts of combustion when condensed will also drain to the bottom of the box where they will be collected by the drainboard 53 and delivered outside of a box through the drain 54. The bulb 63 in this embodiment will be set to operate the thermostatically controlled valve at a lower pressure because of the reserve supply stored in the body of liquid 9| but otherwise the operation will be the same as the preferred embodiment described, in which the thermoresponsive valve 62 is set to cut -in at the boiling. point of the heaviest fraction present in the fuel and to cut off the flow of fuel to the catalyzer bed when temperatures above '70 to 80 are estab- [5 lished in the vaporizer.

In considering the thermoresponsivev valve 62, the valve isone of a suitable type which will give suflicient movement upon opening the valve to close the sw-itch 82 after which the fuel can be' supplied either at a4 continuous constant fiow or at ataperi'ng ow as the vaporizerl is warmed by the autogenous burning. AWith this arrangement a great deal of flexibility of adjustment can be indulged in for the operating range of the thermostat switch 14 because. once the autogenous bed and ceramic collar are-warmed, they willl be the lastto cool. If upon occasion the supply of fuel to the catalyzer` bed has been cutoff and resumed, the burning will be picked up by the bed 13 even though the contacts 15 and 16 remain open. If there is not enough heat in the bed 13 to initiate autogenous burning the bi-metal contacts will be closed. Otherwise, if burning is not resumed the circulation of the cool fuel-air induced by the lflow of gas through the nozzle 61 will cool off the loi-metal switch 14 to cause it to close the contacts 15and 16, the Nichrome wire 12 will be warmed and the burning started again without 40 danger of explosion or backiiring. If the switch 82 is a. timer switch, the bi-metal switch 14 can be eliminated.

Having thus described the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that a continuous bleed of fuel is not required, such as that required with a pilot light, and furthermore the dangers accompanying the provisions of a combustible mixture for a pilot and flame heater in a closed container are eliminated. The autogenous burner supplying heat in the present invention supplies heat to the degree that fuel is present in the air passing through the catalyzer bed after the bed is startedby the heater coil 12, and this content can be varied in relation to the need of latent heat cf vaporization. In other words, the heat required for the latent heat of vaporization is supplied as needed and with the apparatus disclosed can be arranged so that no more thanl enough fuel will be consumed to supply the heat that is necessary to ac- -complish vaporization, the supply of fuel tapering if desired as the vaporizer is warmed.

Furthermore it has been found that the device can be operated upon a 11/2 volt telephone dry cell battery over lon'g periods of time; and that the catalyzer bed warmed by a Nichrome wire does not deteriorate appreciably throughout long periods of use. It is preferred, however, to provide for a six volt battery supply so that a bell ringing transformer can be employed interchangeably if the dwelling is wired for electricity, and in some instances the resistance wire will continue to serve as an adequate catalyzer without need for additional beds. 76 Although various forms of boxes may be proamaai? vided. it is preferred to provide a box 25 in which the bottom, and the back which is secured to the wall of a dwelling are a unitary assembly and theA front, the top walls and the sides constitute a Vcover which is pivotally mounted at the hinge 98 preferred forms of the invention and discussed the various requirementsand conditions for the construction and maintenance of the constructions disclosed, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that various andfurther modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and substance of the invention as set forth in the objects and description, the scope of which is commensurate with the appended claims.'

What is claimed is:

1. In a liquefied petroleum gas dispensing system having a storage tank and a liquid eduction service line leading therefrom to a point of use with rst and second stage pressure reducers therein, the combination of a vaporizer disposed in such service conduit between said first and second stage pressure reducers including a coil through which the gas may flow which passesr from the first to the second stage regulator; a catalyzer bed disposed in close proximity to the coil; means for warming the catalyzer bed; and means for mixing fuel and air and passing the resultant mixture through said catalyzer bed at a time when the temperature of the coil is below a predetermined point.

2. A liquefied petroleum gas dispensing system having a storage tank for storing gas in both its liquid and vapor phases, means for educting gasv from a point adjacent to the bottom of the tank,

' a service line leading therefrom to a point of use connected to said educting means and including a pressure reducer and a vaporizer conduit connected to the outlet of the pressure reducer, a catalyzer disposed in close proximity to the conduit, means for warming the catalyzer, a carburetor for mixing fuel and air, and means for conducting said mixture through the warmed catalyzer bed. f

3. A liquefied petroleum fuel gas dispensing system having a storage tank comprising means for educting liquid fuel from the tank including a pressure reducer and means for accomplishing vaporization of the fuel includingv a section of conduit connected to the outlet of the pressure reduced through which the gas may fiow passing from the reducer to a point of consumption, a catalyzerbed disposed in close proximity to the conduitsection, means responsive to the temperature of the conduit section, and means controlled by said temperature responsive means for warming the catalyzer bed and for supplying to the bed a fuel and air mixture when the temperature of the coil is below a predetermined point.

4. For use in a liquefied petroleum gas dispensing system having a storage tank and a liquid eduction service line leading therefrom to a point of use with rst and second stage pressure reducers therein, a vaporizer connected in the service conduit between said first and second stage reducers including a section through which the gas may flow as it passes from the rst to the second stage regulator, a container around said section for holding a. body of fluid in heat exchange contact with said section, a catalyzer,

means for warming the catalyzer, means for supplying to the catalyzer a fuel and air mixture at a time when the temperature of the coil is below a predetermined point, said fuel being consumed autogenously, and means for conducting the byproducts of the consumed fuel into heat exchange relationship with said body of fluid.

5. A liquefied petroleum fuel gas dispensing system having a storage tank, an underground service line interconnecting the tank and a place of consumption including means for expanding gas educted from the tank and means for supplying the latent heat of vaporization required for complete vaporization of the expanded gas, including a conduitl section receiving expanded gas, a gas bleeder connected to said conduit, a catalyzer bed disposed near a portion of said conduit, a source of electrical energy including a normally open switch and a resistance wire controlled thereby for developing heat to warm the catalyzer bed, a device responsive to the temperature of said expanded gas controlling said bleeder and said switch. means for directing the fuel from the bleeder into mixture with air and into contact with the catalyzer bed, and means for interrupting Vthe supply of electrical energy to the resistance wire when the catalyzer bed reaches a predetermined temperature.

6. For use in a liquefied petroleum gas dispensing system having a storage tank and a liquid eduction service line leading therefrom to a point of use with flrst and second stage pressure reducers therein, a closure, said service line including a vaporizer connected in such service conduit between said first and second stage pressure reducers comprising a section disposed in said closure through which gas may ow when passing from the first to the second stage pressure reducers, a catalyzer bed, means connected to the service line beyond the second stage pressure reducer for mixing fuel and air and conducting the resultant mixture through said bed at a time when the temperature of the coil is below a predetermined point, said catalyzer bed burning the mixture autogenously as said mixture passes therethrough, and means for conducting the byproducts of combustion into heat exchange contact with said section.

7. The method of vaporizing liquefied petroleum gas for use as a fuel in an appliance including conducting a stream of liqueed petroleum gas in both its liquid and vapor phase at reduced temperatures along a predetermined path, warming a catalyzer bed when the temperatures drop below a predetermined value, mixing fuel diverted from said stream of gases with air, and conducting said stream through said catalyzer bed to burn the fuel autogenously, and conducting the by-products of said burning into heat exchange with said stream of gases.

8. In a system for dispensing liqueed fuel the combination including a storage container containing fuel in its liquid and vapor phases, a conduit extending from a point below the surface of the liquid in said container to a pressure reducer, a second pressure reducer, a catalyst bed surmounted by a flue in heat exchange relationship with said second conduit, means for conducting fuel gas from said second pressure reducer to said catalyst bed, said means including a temperature responsive control valve controlled by the temperature of the fuel within said second conduit, and a service conduit extending from said second pressure reducer to a fuel consuming appliance.

9. In a system for dispensing liquefied fuel the combination including a storage container con-'- taining fuel in its liquid and vapor phases, a conduit extending from a point below the surface of The following references are o f record in the 10 REFERENCES crrsn me of this patent: v

the liquid in said container to a pressure reducer,

a second conduit extending from said pressure reducer to aI point of use, a catalyst bed surmounted by a ue in heat exchange relationship with said second conduit through a ue wall, means for conducting fuel gas to said catalyst bed,

f said means including a temperature responsive control valve controlled by the temperature of the fuel within said second conduit.l

WILLIAM C. BUTTNER.. HAROLD L. NORWAY. JEROME R. BUNCE.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Lumiere et al Oct. 24, 1916 Herck July 27, 1920 MacMahon Dec. 7, 1926 Crowe Nov. 12, 1940 Baker et ai June 9, 1942 Faucher Sept. 21, 1943 Kel-cher May 9, 1944 Kerr ---i June 13, 1944 Poethig Aug` 13, 1946 

